The lure of instant riches dangled by the promoters of a hugely popular Philippine game show was enough to kindle the dreams of the teeming poor in and around Manila who trooped to a sports arena by the thousands.

The ensuing stampede was an accident waiting to happen. It became clear as the dust settled that there was no coordination on crowd control among in-house security, town cops and ABS-CBN management, which is now being sued for damages by relatives of the victims.

As it turned out, the security contingent was caught off guard by the sheer number of people, about 30,000 by most count, who muscled their way into a facility that could only house 19,000. This was a fatal mistake that better planning could have averted.

The customary inquiry will be launched to pinpoint responsibility and punish the culprits. But after the mourning and finger-pointing subside, the tragedy will be forgotten, only to be revisited when another disaster strikes.

Authorities should have learned a lesson from the Ozone Disco incident in 1996 where 118 persons died in a mad rush to the exit during a blaze. At that time, a law was passed to enforce strict security procedures during special events where large crowds are expected.

But what good are laws if they are not enforced. Even criminal prosecution does not seem to deter the violators. Jail terms are minimal, six months tops for negligence and even lesser fines for the offenders.

In the future, why not use veteran military and Manila police to control crowd. Look at how proficient they have become in dispersing crowds of protesters, wielding truncheons at the slightest provocation and, when push comes to shove, which is not unusual in the streets nowadays, the enforcers can fire water canons as they once did on a former vice president and a lady senator.

The government coined a fancy name to hold rallyists at bay. It’s called CPR, or calibrated preemptive response. It seems to be working, to the dismay of civil libertarians and the Commission on Human Rights who decry the use of excessive force in breaking up anti-government demonstrations.